Essence of Insanity
by Wuteva
Summary: Summer before Book 6, the trio is spending part of the summer at Hermione's house. They decide to throw a big party... before they are visited by some unexpected guests! RH, HG, First fic, please R&R. Chapter FOUR UP!
1. The Z4 Journey

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. If I did, it wouldn't be called a FAN fic, now, would it?

Chapter 1: The Z4 Journey

It was shortly after midnight, and the boy called Harry Potter was alone. He had been sitting on the same park bench for the better part of an hour, and he was beginning to lose feeling in his legs. Next to him, a snowy white owl hooted softly. She was sitting in a cage, on top of a normal looking trunk. If anyone happened to drive by after midnight, which only a couple of late night partiers had, they might wonder why a teenage boy was sitting alone with a large trunk next to him. Luckily, they had been too drunk to notice the long piece of wood sticking out from the boy's jacket pocket….

"I'm sorry, Hedwig, I can't let you out," Harry told the owl. "They'll be coming any minute." As he said this, he glanced down the long dark street. He could barely make out the signpost at the end that read "Privet Drive."

Suddenly, a BMW Z4 came hurtling into view, the headlights temporarily blinding Harry. 'Wow,' thought Harry, impressed. 'Not bad for a couple of dentists.' He gathered up his things, and was just taking a step towards the car when the trunk and the driver's door popped open simultaneously. "Wotcher, Harry," said a voice.

"Tonks?" Harry gasped. "What are you doing here?" A woman with short, spiky black hair with purple tips stepped out of the car. She was wearing baggy black pants and a purple shirt that said "Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes" in large black letters. On the other side of the car, a teenage girl with bushy brown hair jumped out of the seat and ran towards Harry.

"Oh, Harry, it's great to see you!" said the girl, who happened to be one of Harry's best friends, Hermione Granger. "Tonks was staying at our house too, and she volunteered to drive here and pick you up!" Tonks winked at Harry.

"Of course, I used a bit of magic to speed up the trip, but a little bit never hurt anyone, did it?" Tonks joked, winking again. "Come on, load up your stuff. Ron's family will be there first thing in the morning, and you'll want a couple hours of sleep before they arrive."

Harry bent over to pick up his trunk, but before he could do so, Tonks had pulled out her wand and levitated his luggage into the trunk. Thanking Tonks, Harry climbed into the magically expanded back seat with Hermione. About to close his eyes, he realized that the car was floating into the air. "Oh, not another flying car," he moaned. "Why didn't we just take brooms?"

"Shhh, Harry, just go to sleep," Hermione whispered, yawning. "You'll need it for the morning." A few minutes later, both of the teenagers had fallen asleep, Hermione's head resting on Harry's shoulder. In the front seat, Tonks smiled at the two, and the 2nd flying car sped on through the silent night air.

(A/N: Sorry for the lack of length. I know it's not exactly canon for Tonks to be this happy right now, but it's no fun writing about her being all sad and depressed all the time. Anyway, this isn't a H/Hr ship, unless you really want it to be. PLEASE REVIEW!)


	2. Operation ParTay!

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own anything except the Z4 in the previous chapter. Well, I **WISH** I owned a Z4. But anyway…

A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews! I feel so luved. ;) Anyway, for whoever asked, this takes place the summer going into 6th year, so basically you have to pretend you never read HBP. Of course, if you didn't, that won't be a problem. Oh, and I was too lazy to find canon on Mrs. Granger, so I made her up. Sorry if I screwed up any actual facts… she basically sounds like Mrs. Weasley.

Chapter Two: Operation Par-Tay! (Woot!)

Harry awoke the next morning to find himself in an unfamiliar bed. He blinked, trying to focus, and then realized his glasses were next to him on the nightstand. Putting them on, he noticed his trunk at the end of the bed, and Hedwig's cage sitting empty on top of it. He glanced at his watch; it was 9:45. Surely he couldn't have slept that long. Suddenly, he realized he must be in Hermione's house, and jumped out of bed. Although he had been friends with Hermione for over five years, he had never been to her house before. He quickly got dressed and opened his door. He was at the end of a long hallway with many doors on each side. He walked slowly down the hall, turned left, and came to a large kitchen. Hermione and a curly haired woman Harry recognized as Hermione's mother were at a large oak table, eating bacon and eggs.

"Morning, Harry dear!" said Hermione's mother. "Did you sleep well? I'm sure you're hungry, take a plate and sit down." She pointed to a stack of plates on the counter.

"Good morning Mrs. Granger," Harry replied, grabbing a plate and sitting down. "Er, how did I get into the house?" he asked, blushing as he filled his plate with scrambled eggs.

"Oh, Nymphadora levitated you both in with her wand. You were both exhausted, poor dears," she said, looking fondly at them. "Anyway, Ronald should be arriving soon. He'll be staying with you, Harry. I'll just move a second bed in there. It'll be a tight squeeze, but you'll manage, I'm sure." She got up and hurried down the hall.

"Ronald?" Harry asked, grinning, once Mrs. Granger was out of earshot.

Hermione shrugged, blushing. "She heard Molly call him that once, and she decided it sounded better than Ron. I've tried to stop her, but…" she trailed off, shrugging again. "Speaking of Ron, he should be here any minute."

Just then, a loud whooshing came from the living room. Ron was standing in the fireplace, holding a trunk and covered in ash.

"Ron!" called Hermione, running up to him and giving him a huge hug. Ron shot an alarmed look at Harry, and then hesitantly hugged her back. Suddenly, Hermione broke away. "Ew, you're all dirty," she said, brushing off her clothes.

"Nice to see you too," said Ron rolling his eyes. "How ya doing, Harry?"

"Fine, and you?" replied Harry, trying not to laugh.

"We're alright," said Ron, shrugging. "Mom had a bit of a row with Ginny, but it's all straightened out. Where do I put my stuff?" he asked. Harry and Hermione led him to his room, where another bed had already been added. Ron lugged in his trunk and plopped down on the bed. Harry sat next to him, and Hermione sat on Harry's bed, facing them.

"Now, I've been thinking," Hermione began.

"Uh oh," said Ron, throwing a look at Harry, who smiled.

"Ha ha, very funny," Hermione replied, glaring at Ron. "Anyway, I was thinking that everybody's been getting so worked up about You-Know-Who, that we need something to take people's minds off it, at least for a little while."

"Quidditch," said Harry and Ron as one. Hermione shot them another look.

"Actually, I was thinking more like… like a party."

"A **what?**" asked Ron, incredulously. He looked at Harry, but to his surprise, saw him grinning. "Harry, don't tell me you think this is a good idea!" he exclaimed.

"Actually, I think it's an excellent idea," he replied. "Who were you thinking of inviting, Hermione?"

"Well, I was thinking most of the people in our year, actually," she said.

"You want to invite MALFOY?" asked Ron, his eyebrows threatening to go higher than his forehead. "Honestly, Hermione…"

"Well, obviously not HIM," said Hermione, blushing.

"Hey, I have an idea," Harry spoke up. "Why not invite the entire DA?"

"But what about Cho and Marietta?" asked Hermione.

"And Zacharias Smith and Michael Corner?" added Ron.

"Well, fine then," sighed Harry. "Let's make a list. I'd like to invite the old Quidditch team too, but I think they're all in DA"

"Not Fred and George!" gasped Ron. Harry expected Hermione to object too, but she surprised him by saying "Well, it's never a party without Fred and George…"

"Right then, when are we having this party?" asked Harry.

"Well…" said Hermione slowly. "I was thinking in about ten days." She glanced at the calendar on the wall. Harry looked too, and suddenly realized what she was getting to.

"NO," he replied. "We are NOT making it my birthday party."

"Oh, come on, Harry," pleaded Hermione. "We don't have to have gifts or anything. Please, Harry? It'll be fun!" she said, hopefully.

"Oh, alright," Harry gave in, sighing again. They began making a list of kids to invite. Their final list went something like this:

Neville, Dean, Seamus, Lavender, Pavarti and Padma Patil, Luna, Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, Angelina Johnson, Colin and Dennis Creevy, Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Ginny, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan.

"Right then, that's 23 people, including us," counted Hermione. "Is that enough, do you think?"

"Well, it depends," said Ron slowly, "on whether you want to invite adults. Personally, I think Tonks, Kingsley, and Lupin should come."

"That sounds fine," said Hermione. "It's not like we can't change our minds later…"

(A/N: I know that's a crappy chapter ending but I have to walk my dogs. If you have any ships (including crack pairings, those are fun) that you'd like me to put in the party, put them in a review. If not… review anyway. Much love to anyone who read my pathetic excuse for a story! It'll get better, I promise!)


	3. Planning and Crack Pairings

Disclaimer: I so totally own Harry Potter eyeroll No, really, none of the characters belong to me. Duh.

A/N: Thank you everyone for reading this story! This next chapter is just random hyperness showing my undying love for crack pairings! (Except Hr/Slytherin or G/Slytherin, those just greatly disturb me).

Chapter Three: Planning and Crack Pairings (This is where I start to get hyper, lol)

"So, what exactly are we going to do at this party, Hermione?" asked Ron. It was late the next morning, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione were on the floor in the living room, going over party ideas. "I mean, we're a bit old for Pin The Tail On The Kneazle."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Ron, I didn't mean that kind of party! I thought it would be more like a Muggle party. We'd set up a stage in the backyard, (Hermione's backyard was huge, fenced in, and miles away from any pesky neighbors) and we could set up a huge buffet, and everyone could eat as much as they wanted, and-"

"Uh, Hermione," Ron interrupted. "Not that I'm objecting to food, but won't feeding half the school cost us a bit of money?"

"Yes, well, my parents are paying for most of it. Harry said he would pay for any wizarding purchases, since he doesn't have any Muggle money, and Fred and George are going to bring some drinks and-."

"_You told Fred and George about this already?" _said Ron loudly. "They're going to blow everything up, I know it."

"Actually," said Hermione calmly, "I think they'll be fine. They've offered to put on a fireworks display at the end. Anyway, once everybody eats, we're going to have a couple performers- Tonks volunteered to do a morphing show for everyone- and then we can put some music on, and…" she paused. "Some Muggle music is quite good, actually."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "We're going to have a dance? With Fred and George here?"

"Oh, come on, Harry, they were all right at the Yule Ball, weren't they?" Hermione pointed out. "Anyway, it's not all slow songs, you know. Muggle parties are actually quite fun, as long as there isn't a lot of alcohol. Oh, and I've thought of a way to invite more people, too!" she continued. "We could ask everyone coming to bring a friend."

Ron and Harry looked at each other. "A friend?" asked Ron, raising his eyebrows.

"Hermione, are you sure don't you mean, well, a date?" asked Harry?

Hermione blushed furiously. "Well, I didn't want to call it that, because all you guys will freak out. I just thought it was a good idea, because more people could come that way."

"But what if someone brings Smith or Malfoy?" asked Ron.

"Oh, who do you know that would bring Malfoy?" Hermione snapped.

Suddenly, Harry gasped. "You guys, we forgot Hagrid!" he exclaimed. "I wonder who he would bring."

"Probably Madame Maxim," guessed Ron. "No, wait; she's away on holiday, isn't she? Oh, I know who he would bring… Grawp."

Hermione giggled. "Can you imagine him dancing with Grawp?" she asked.

"Hey, it would be better than him dancing with, say, Flitwick," said Harry, grinning. "That's about a ten foot height difference."

The three of them laughed, imagining Hagrid dancing with tiny Professor Flitwick. "I can beat that," challenged Ron. "Filch and McGonagall."

Harry chuckled. "Moaning Myrtle and Peeves," he countered.

"Trelawney and Firenze"

"Crabbe and Malfoy"

"Pansy and Goyle"

"Fluffy and Fang"

"Snape and You-Know-Who"

"Aragog and the Basilisk"

"Snape and Sinistra"

"Dobby and Dumbledore"

"Draco and Mrs. Norris!"

They were all laughing hard now. "Ron and Luna" called out Hermione with a devilish expression on her face.

Ron's eyebrows rose. "Hermione and Krum"

"Ron and Lavender"

"Hermione and Filch"

"Ron and Trelawney"

"Hermione and Draco"

"Ron and the Giant Squid" shouted Hermione triumphantly. Ron threw a shoe at her. Soon, Ron and Hermione were pelting whatever they could reach at each other, shrieking in laughter, while Harry watched, amused. He steeled himself for their reactions and called out the most obvious pairing of them all.

"Ron and Hermione"

Both of them froze and looked at him. Ron was sputtering and turning maroon, while Hermione just looked at Harry with one eyebrow up. Then she threw a pillow at him.

"Time for lunch, you three," called Hermione's mother from the kitchen. They looked at each other.

"Well, I guess we should straighten up, then," said Ron, still blushing. They put back the pillows, shoes, and everything else they had thrown. Harry couldn't help noticing that Hermione and Ron kept looking at each other with odd expressions on their faces.He wascertain now that they liked each other as more than just friends.The question was if they would ever realize it.

A/N: Thanks for reading, the party will be in a couple more chapters, don't worry! Next chapter is R/H, wheee! Thank you so much to **sillymail, Red Devil, piritesslass, **and all the other lovely reviewers! I hope you're liking it so far!


	4. Sweet Dreams

Disclaimer: I solemnly swear I am up to no infringement of copyright laws…

A/N: I was kind of nervous about writing this chapter and I'm still not sure about how it turned out, thanks to ya'll for reading it! Warning: Pointless Fluffy Chapter!

Chapter Four: Sweet Dreams

Ron awoke at midnight, surprisingly awake. He tried to go back to sleep for a while, but eventually gave up and decided to get up and grab something to eat. As he wandered down the hall and into the kitchen, he thought he heard muffled voices. He walked into the living room and saw Hermione lying down on the couch, watching a large black box with moving pictures.

"Hey, that's a Muggle TV, right?" he asked her. She jumped, startled.

"Goodness, Ron, you scared me," she replied, frowning slightly. She sat up slowly as Ron walked around the couch and sat down at the other end. Suddenly her eyes widened. Ron often slept without a shirt on in the summer, and he hadn't bothered to put one on now, not expecting anyone else to be up. She didn't know how he had gotten so fit; she could see the starting of a six-pack. Suddenly, she realized she was staring, and looked up to see Ron blushing a lovely shade of maroon. He jumped up and ran to his and Harry's room. He grabbed a shirt, shaking all over.

"_Sheesh, Ron, pull yourself together," _he scolded himself. _"It's not like she's never seen a guy without a shirt on before. Now go back and apologize for traumatizing her eyes." _He grinned shakily. He pulled the shirt on over his head and walked slowly back to the living room. Hermione was lying down on the couch again, but she sat up when he entered the room.

"Sorry about that," said Ron weakly. "I didn't think anyone else would be awake."

"Oh, it's alright," replied Hermione, blushing.

"Mind if I watch this Muggle junk with you?" asked Ron.

Hermione nodded in agreement. They sat in silence for a few minutes. They were watching some stupid romantic comedy that had gotten like half a star. She didn't know why on earth she was watching this, and had even less of an idea why Ron hadn't commented. Then she noticed he was staring about three feet to the left of the TV and muttering to himself.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly.

Ron looked at her, dazed, and then went back to staring at the wall. "Nothing…" he muttered, "It's just… why did he say that? I mean… me and you… together… as if… don't know where he got that…"

Hermione realized he was talking about that morning, when Harry had suggested Hermione and Ron together.

"He was joking, Ron," she said, rolling her eyes. "Just like we were. But I'm sorry… I didn't know being associated with me offended you so badly," she said with a hurt tone in her voice.

Ron blushed. "It's not that… it's just… me… and you… well… you've got Krum, haven't you?" he finished lamely.

Hermione sighed and looked away from him. "No, I don't," she said quietly.

"_What?"_ gasped Ron in surprise. "Did you two break up, or something?"

"Yeah," confirmed Hermione. "He hadn't written me for ages and ages, so I asked him why he never talked to me anymore. He told me he was too busy with Quidditch, and I had to wait until it was over, so I broke up with him. I didn't really like him anymore, anyway," she continued. "He couldn't even say my name, and he only wanted to talk about Quidditch. He's probably found someone prettier and smarter now. He's an amazing Seeker, after all," she continued, sighing.

Ron frowned. "He couldn't have found anyone smarter," he argued. "You're the smartest witch in the school. You're going to be smarter than the teachers soon. And he won't be able to find anyone prettier either; every girl from Durmstrang looked like a guy. I couldn't tell which they were half the time. Besides, you're not that bad looking yourself. You're loads better than first year, anyway."

Hermione smiled, looking up at him. "Did you just give me a compliment, Ron?" she asked, one eyebrow raised.

Ron blushed again and muttered something like _"just telling the truth…"_

Hermione grinned and started to lie down again, before realizing that Ron was sitting where her head would go. "Move over," she told him, embarrassed.

Ron grinned. "No way! You're hogging the whole couch!" he replied.

"Move or I'll hex you," she replied, winking.

"Fine," said Ron. He moved a fraction of an inch away from Hermione.

"Come on Ron, move," she said, rolling her eyes.

"If you really insist," replied Ron. He scooted closer to Hermione, grinning. "Haha!" he said triumphantly. "I moved!" Then he seemed to realize what he

had done. "Sorry," he said, his face going darker than his hair. "I didn't mean anything by it." He started to move away.

"No, it's okay, really," said Hermione, looking down. "It's better this way, anyway." And, blushing almost as badly as Ron, she leaned her head against Ron's shoulder and closed her eyes.

Ron somehow managed to deepen his blush, and froze where he was sitting. Then, very slowly, he started to grin. Was it possible that she did like him, he asked himself. Or was she punishing him for being difficult? _Well,_ said a small voice inside his head, _she did break up with Krum…_

He contemplated this thought for a few minutes, staring at the TV but not listening to a word of it. Then, when Ron was sure Hermione had fallen asleep, he slowly put his arm around her. He stared out the window, wondering what would happen if someone walked in right now. He was so lost in thought, he didn't notice Hermione grinning and moving just a bit closer to Ron.

((A/N: Awwww….grins happily….Please review!))


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